The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), established to improve the transition of Service men and women, and their families, into civilian life, has awarded a grant to Stoll (formerly The Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation), a registered charity which provides a range of services and rehabilitative support to vulnerable and disabled ex-Service men and women.  The grant will be used to fund a qualitative and quantitative research programme into housing and support provision for ex-Service personnel.

The aim of the research is to investigate and provide data about the housing and support provisions that are available to ex-Service personnel in England, Scotland and Wales, and will include surveys of providers of housing and interviews with ex-Service personnel.

The research project was conceived by two organisations; Veterans’ charity, Stoll, and social housing provider, Riverside. The research will be conducted by the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York, and will be implemented in two phases:

  • Phase one will map the locations and types of housing that are available to the Veterans community and identify where the need is for further provision.
  • Phase two will compare the experiences of different groups of ex-Service personnel (who have support needs) who currently receive services from either military-specific or generic providers.

Research into the housing opportunities for ex-Service personnel has previously been conducted, but there exists only very limited definitive data portraying what more needs to be done to assist Servicemen and women leaving the Forces with their housing needs.

Ed Tytherleigh, Chief Executive of Stoll, said: ‘This piece of research is made possible by the generosity of the Forces in Mind Trust and we are delighted to be the recipients of an award from the Trust.  Stoll and our partners Riverside believe this research will be the definitive piece of research in housing for many years to come, and the reference point for anyone wanting to develop housing solutions for the ex-Service personnel community in the future’.

Air Vice-Marshal Ray Lock, Chief Executive of FiMT, said: ‘One of the key challenges facing ex-Service personnel during their transition back to civilian life, is to find suitable housing for themselves and their families.  We are delighted to be able to work with Stoll and Riverside, and of course with the University of York, to research the housing needs of ex-Service personnel and so provide the evidence base to allow an independent assessment of where services, and other resources, should best be deployed and developed.  This will make a significant contribution to FiMT’s aim to promote the successful transition of Armed Forces personnel, and their families, into civilian life.’

Other stakeholders in the research project include the Welsh Assembly, Greater London Authority, Scottish Veterans, The Royal British Legion and SSAFA.

If you provide housing and support to ex-Service personnel and would like to participate in this study please contact Samantha Barber onSamantha.barber@stoll.org.uk.

Notes

For interview requests, photos or more information, please contact Alice Farrow at The PR Office on  afarrow@theproffice.com  / mobile:  07788 540 924 / direct dial: 0207 284 6955

About The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT)

The Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) was established in 2012 with a £35m endowment from the Big Lottery Fund in order to improve the success of Service men and women, and their families, returning to civilian life, a process known as transition. In addition to COBSEO Members, key supporting charities are: The Mental Health Foundation, Centre for Mental Health and Shaw Trust.  For more information visitwww.fim-trust.org/

Stoll

Stoll (formerly Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation) is a registered charity which enables vulnerable and disabled ex-Servicemen and women to live as independently as possible by providing a range of services. For more information visitwww.stoll.org.uk 

Riverside

Riverside is one of the largest housing association groups in the country, owning and managing over 53,000 properties for 85,000 customers across England and Scotland. In addition to providing over 34,000 units of general needs accommodation, providing low cost home ownership, and developing and building homes Riverside delivers supported housing through a sheltered and supported arm of the business, Riverside ECHG (RECHG), which provides services to more than 11,500 clients with a diverse range of housing needs. Amongst the supported services RECHG provides, there are a number of housing related services to support ex-Armed Forces.  For more information visit www.riverside.org.uk.